Post #131491 by KuKuAhu on Thu, Dec 16, 2004 7:09 PM

I'd be willing to bet that it is akin to Stroh.

EDITED TO ADD:

Turns out Seigert's was an Angostura product, and Seigert himself the founder of Angostura.

Excerpt and image from http://www.rum.cz

"THE STORY OF ANGOSTURA® BITTERS

Originally from Germany, Johann Siegert, a doctor of medicine, left his homeland in 1820, the call of adventure ringing in his ears. He was bound for Venezuela, to join with Simon Bolivar in his fight against the Spanish throne. Bolivar then appointed him Surgeon-General of the Military Hospital in the town of Angostura.

Dr. Siegert was above all a scientist. A scientist with a keen enquiring mind. He had seen soldiers battered by the enemy from without and within, by severe fevers and internal stomach disorders.

From the beginning Dr. Siegert was determined to wrest a cure from nature itself and after four years of trial and error, researching and analysing the qualities of tropical herbs and plants, he finally arrived at a unique blend of herbs which he called “Amargo Aromatico” or aromatic bitters. The year was 1824. Dr. Siegert hoped to use the bitters to bring relief to his patients, his small circle of family and friends, but these events were to prove otherwise. From these humble beginnings an international industry was soon to rise.

In 1830, Dr. Siegert exported his unique aromatic bitters to England and Trinidad. By 1850, he had resigned his commission in the Venezuelan army, to concentrate on the manufacture of his bitters, since by then demand had leapt ahead of supply.

By the time Dr. Siegert died in 1870, his reputation and that of his Angostura® aromatic bitters were internationally established. Dr. J.G.B. Siegert & Hijo, a partnership with his son, Carlos, was established in 1867 by Dr. Siegert. Two years after the death of Dr. Siegert, the name was changed to Dr. J.G.B. Siegert & Hijos, to include younger brother, Alfredo Siegert.

HOME TO TRINIDAD

In 1903 Carlos Siegert died followed in two years by Luis, making Alfredo the sole owner of the secret formula for Angostura® aromatic bitters.

Alfredo speculated in several business projects and lost heavily, great sums of money, and the House of Angostura passed into the hands of its creditors.

The company survived some hard times, a bid from a US distributor and another from a Canadian business man, both of who would have transplanted the industry outside of Trinidad. They were unsuccessful. Some forty years later, the company was back in the hands of the Siegert family.

THE HOUSE OF ANGOSTURA GROUP

By the turn of the century, the Company ventured into the rum market, at first just in bottling bulk rum from other distillers. After years of intensive research in fermentation and distillation processes, the Company installed a state-of-the-art distillery in 1945 heralding its entry into the production of rum on a major scale. By the end of 1960, the Company had extended distribution of its products to over 140 countries across the world, becoming well known internationally for its high quality rums in addition to the now world famous Angostura® aromatic bitters"

I have sent an email to Angostura's corporate HQ in the hope of obtaining some information regarding this product. We'll see if we can find out out what it was and thereby propose a reasonable substitution.

So there ya go kids.

Ahu

[ Edited by: ku ku ahu on 2004-12-16 19:29 ]

[ Edited by: Ku Ku Ahu on 2004-12-16 19:30 ]